San Luis Obispo, Calif. – The Robert Morris University women's basketball team needed little adjustment to the west coast this afternoon as the Colonials came out victorious in the program's first game played in California, defeating Cal Poly, 66-50, on the opening day of the ShareSLO Holiday Beach Classic.
Robert Morris (2-2, 0-0 NEC) led wire-to-wire for the second consecutive game, stretching the gap to as large as 23 points in the fourth quarter. Cal Poly (1-3, 0-0 Big West) never pulled within seven points in the second half and was held to 23.1 percent shooting over the opening 20 minutes.
"This was more typical of what we're looking to do," said head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "We came out of the gate really strong because our defense was strong. We're getting that young mentality out of ourselves right now, and we're just trying to stay focused and passionate on what we're trying to accomplish."
Nneka Ezeigbo posted the second double-double of her young career, leading all players with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore also provided a strong defensive presence in the paint for the Colonials, tallying three steals and two blocks in 26 minutes.
"The last two games (Nneka) has been a nice and steady presence for us," said Buscaglia. "She's being very aggressive, which I like to see. (Cal Poly) didn't get much inside because she walled up inside and didn't get herself into foul trouble. Defensively was the real story of the day for her."
Honoka Ikematsu, who eclipsed double-figures scoring for the first time with 12 points, opened the game with one of her four trifectas from the wing. After Lynn Leaupepe answered on the other end for the Mustangs, RMU scored eight of the next 10 points to gain early control of the game.
Another Leaupepe layup pulled Cal Poly within four with 7:30 left in the third quarter, but the Colonials responded with lay-ins from Jocelynne Jones and Laura Carrasco, and an old-fashioned three-point play by Ezeigbo to reestablish the double-digit advantage. The hosts again made it single-digits and made it 37-30 with 2:58 on the clock; however, RMU closed the frame strong with an 11-1 run thanks to buckets by Nina Augustin, Ezeigbo, Jones, and Megan Smith, along with two Carrasco free throws.
The Colonials added the finishing touches to a dominant win early in the fourth quarter as Ikematsu and Carrasco combined to drill three-pointers on three consecutive possessions over a span of 1:09. For the rookie guard from Spain, her trifecta gave her a career-high 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting.
"Laura (Carrasco) has to take things in stride and she's doing a great job right now at continuing to battle through moments while the game's going on," said Buscaglia. "That's why she's really hitting her stride. When a bad moment happens or she makes a mistake, she's able to bounce back. She's really learning the game well right now, and I'm really proud of her."
Leaupepe led the Mustangs with 10 points in defeat.
Robert Morris looks to claim its sixth non-conference tournament championship tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. when it concludes the ShareSLO Holiday Beach Classic against San Francisco.
